Quotable Country – 04/29/12 Edition

One day, Underwood will stop hemming and hawing and have adorable babies with her husband Mike Fisher. ●– – Alison Bonaguro reports on her pet non-news story.

I have faith I’m going to get where I’m going to get. ●– – Um, okay. Kip Moore.

It makes me laugh when I hear this Def Leppard-sounding record with a guy singing to me about how country he is. I appreciate them wanting to rock as hard as they want, but it’s humorous to me that, lyrically, they’re screaming about how hot your chick is in your truck. ●– – Vince Gill on modern country’s hard-rock obsession.

Some people get really offended by the things I say, so it’s a nice disclaimer. I’ve only been hit once. It was in Milwaukee, not that long ago. He never said why he hit me. It could have been my shirt. ●– – Todd Snider on his famous “18 minutes” speech.

Flatts’ latest single, “Banjo,” is a great redneck song if I’ve ever heard one. The late Earl Scruggs would have smiled at that song and patted his foot. ●– – Now that Earl Scruggs is gone, pretty much the only person I’d trust to speak and endorse songs on his behalf is Hazel Smith, the woman who calls “Banjo” great.

When you get one of those songs that’s absolutely amazing, then you should sing about love. But 95 percent of love songs to me, I’m like, ‘It’s a chick flick in song form.’ ●– – Carrie Underwood isn’t a big fan of love songs.

It’s hard to look at somebody who’s selling a million records a minute and say, ‘Hey, this isn’t really valid.’ I think it goes back to the individual. You have to follow your heart. But as an art form, when I hear most modern country music, I hear a craft and a product. I don’t feel the same soul that I felt from Hank Williams’ music or Bill Monroe’s music. ●– – Marty Stuart, making the case for traditional country as eloquently as ever.

I think he’s the Clive Davis of his time. ●– – Paul Deakin, drummer for The Mavericks, on Scott Borchetta.

Q: You’ve released in the neighborhood of 200 albums. What do you think of your latest, “A Mother’s Prayer”?
A: It’s just like all the rest of them. It’s taken off good. I like it and I’m proud of it. Hope to sell a million. ●– – Let’s say you’re offered the once-in-a-lifetime chance to interview Ralph Stanley. Is “What do you think of your latest album?” really the sort of question to ask?

Well, I just think it’s horrible and a waste of time. Don’t even listen to it. ●– – Lauren Alaina offers a simple solution to the complex issue of cyber-bullying.

We’re competing not necessarily based on dollars, but based on time available and creativity and flexibility, and I think that’s something that as companies consolidate and get bigger… it actually creates opportunity for us. ●– – David Robkin, chief executive at the Bigger Picture Group, thinks a Universal-EMI merger would help independent labels by making the majors more inept than ever.

I’ve always wanted to make a tribute album, with songs from my favorites. I’d go deep and find songs that maybe nobody’s ever heard of, from Merle (Haggard) and Dolly (Parton) and Loretta (Lynn) and Kitty Wells. I also love Jamey Johnson’s music; he’s one of the best country singers we have today. He’s so real, like Waylon (Jennings) and Merle and George Jones. There’s nothing manufactured about him and his music. His life is a country song. ●– – Kellie Pickler.

I think she has a chance to change the course of country music in a really neat way. I think we’ve lost our way, in a traditional sense, in country music. ●– – Vince Gill on Ashley Monroe, whose next album he’s producing(!!!)

I think Marty Stuart made his comment in a classy way and I’m glad he didn’t try to insult today’s singers. When people say “today”s music sucks. Its so cliche and immoral. But the music back in my day was good” it usually makes them look silly to me.

However, I’m not convinced by claims that “today’s singers don’t have as much soul as Bill Monroe and Hank Williams” because most singers in the days of Williams and Monroe didn’t have as much soul as those two, either. It seems to me that a more accurate comparison would also include looking at the junk from the 1950s as well when we compare it to today’s junk.

I just read on some lesser websites about some Coments that Mr. Eric Church has made about singing-competition tv shows. Apparently he also says he is not interested in 80 year olds seeing his performances, because they will be dead by the next time he comes to town. Mr Church has really outdone himself this time! I am preying that Alison Bonaguro will have something to say about Mr. Church’s remarks! If so next week’s Quotable Country could go down in history as the best one ever.